Walking With a Warrior

[Eleden]

Excerpts taking from Michael Moorhove's book: Walking With a Warrior.

"If I had known everything I know now, I would not have done this,"

From day one I knew I had an uphill battle. They had warned me she was having difficulties adjusting, but I had no idea she was in this state of mind. It wasn't more than fifteen minutes after I introduced myself that she was showing visible signs of depression. She sat on her bed, quietly humming a lullaby that I could only assume was reminiscient of her youngest child. When she emerged an hour later, the mascara lines running down her face betrayed her false expressions of confidence. "We've got work to do," she declared.

I could not have agreed more.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Hmmmmmm....

[Vote UKIP!]

Hmmmmmm....

[Jerseyrules]

Hmmmmmm....

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[Eleden]

Excerpt from Chapter 3: The Calm Before the Storm

The other senior staffers had no understanding of who she was as a person or her expectations for the campaign. They had pushed her into a firestorm without any preparation and provided little to no help at all. It seemed as though years of dealing with seasoned politicians had left them unable to address the needs of a normal human being.

After a week of being deprived of precious time with her family, she brought them in during a weekend of crucial strategy meetings. The staffers scoffed and denounced this "unprofessional" behavior. Whenever she expressed uncertainty about answers to prep questions picked out by the communications team, the subtle snickering from staffers further dampened her spirits.

We had all been skeptical at the beginning, but when I began to interact with her on a daily basis, it became easier to sympathize.  Unable to resist expressing love for her family, I was constantly reminded of her desire to see them. She often worried about me from time to time as well; always asking if I had gotten enough sleep the night before or if I wanted to grab an early lunch break.  

It didn't take long before I began to feel as if she was more of a friend than a boss. This was never more apparent than in the response she always gave when I used her official title.  
 
"Please," she said. "Call me Sarah."

[sentinel]

Hmmmmmm....

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[Vote UKIP!]

Hmmmmmm....

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Eleden]

Excerpt from Chapter 4: Damage Control


Panic. Sheer, unadulterated panic ran through the upper echelons of the campaign. After days of cram sessions and constant preparation, the interview still ended with a running mate who appeared vastly unqualified for the position she was seeking. Sarah would later joke with me, "I haven't heard the word doctrine since High School." We shared a laugh, but I knew the situation we were facing was anything but funny.

Damage control was already being carried out by our communications team, however nothing could stem the flow of criticism unless we put her through the wringer one or two more times. The hammer came down on me hard; she was to be ready and prepped for future press events or I could start seeking other employment. After several meetings and discussions with senior staff, we all agreed that Sean Hannity was our best bet for the next interview. He would certainly provide favorable exposure and at the very least we could replace the current soundbites of Sarah stumbling over the Bush Doctrine with something more intellectual.

The third interview was a perplexing situation. Some staff had advocated against it, as putting her in another dangerous situation might permanently damage her image. Others believed that the Governor needed an opportunity to redeem herself and a Fox News outlet wasn't the appropriate venue. At our final meeting on the subject, I shyly murmured a name from under my breath. "What's that?" Steve calmly asked. Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth and set in motion one of the defining moments of the campaign:

"Katie Couric."

At the time, I felt she had the credibility to restore any damage that had been done to the Governor's image, and a female journalist would likely create a more emotional moment...

... The sweat rolling down my face was a clear sign of the frustration we were all feeling. Sarah was distraught, angry, and completely unwilling to participate in any of the prep sessions I had planned for her. She would either feign a headache or stare into space as I read her information. The Governor had already begun blaming her poor interview performance with Charlie Gibson on being "overworked and overwhelmed." On top of this new found stress, she constantly tortured herself by watching reruns of her botched interview. Seasoned politicians were used to the ridicule of the media, but her recent exposure to the brutality of the national spotlight further crushed her spirits.

Even worse, everybody was under the false impression that Katie would go easy on her. After all, the reporter had been favorable to John McCain during his earlier bus tours.  They saw Katie as a lightweight who would be overwhelmingly supportive of Sarah because they were both women.  I, however, played out a different scenario in my head. She was a reporter who was out to do her job: asking hard hitting questions. I was certain that Katie would use this opportunity to try and cement her status as a respectable journalist among her peers.

Sarah was taking the situation too lightly and continuously sank into depression throughout our discussions on history and foreign policy. I called off the meeting and let her take an early evening to herself while I collected my thoughts. After pacing back in forth in my hotel for what seemed like hours, it finally hit me. I remembered the most important aspect of Sarah's life: family. She had been thrust into an overwhelming spotlight and I was certain that her family could pull her through it.

When Sarah and I reconvened a few days later, she was still stuck in the depressive state which had doomed earlier prep sessions. This time would be different though. As I opened the door to our secluded conference room, her mood immediately improved. Sitting around the conference table, Sarah was greeted by her smiling family. I had flown them in earlier that day and managed to sneak them into the campaign offices while Sarah was on a fundraising call. To say that the Governor was elated is a serious understatement. She broke down and began crying in front of all of us. After a series of hugs and terms of endearment, I began to implement the plan I had devised earlier.

Each family member received four or five note cards which had likely questions written on them. We had no real idea of the exact nature of Katie Couric's inquiries, but I had a general feeling they would be slightly more difficult than expected. From Todd to Bristol, each family member began asking questions to the matriarch of the Palin family while she held baby Trig. Using the scripted answers on the back of each card, they all advised Sarah on the "correct" response.

I had not seen her this happy since the day she had been selected as John's running mate. She was nodding her head, jotting down notes, and openly taking criticism. After four pizzas and a few two liters had been spent, Sarah was ready to call it a night. She politely asked for one more question before bed and a brief silence filled the room.

"Ok mommy!" declared Piper.

With the tenacity only seen in a seven year old, Piper slowly sounded out the question on her card.

"Mommy, why are we spending billions bailing out banks when we could be spending that money on the American people?"

After finishing reading the question, Piper gave a confused look. She may not have understood it, but she had just saved her mother's reputation...

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Interesting. This is quite good!

[Jerseyrules]

Interesting. This is quite good!

[Eleden]

Chapter 5: Judgement Day

Sarah was visibly nervous. Why wouldn't she be? We had all realized these Katie Couric interviews would make or break her image among the American people. As we drove towards the United Nations for our first photo-op, the Governor reminded me of a college student cramming before the big final. As she closed her eyes and recited practiced lines to specific questions, I could see a bead of sweat roll down her face. It didn't hit me until that moment, but I began to understand the enormous pressure she was under. Sure, if Sarah failed I would be out of a job, but my face wasn't going to be plastered on every newspaper across the country. Her reputation was on the line and that's certainly a precious commodity to be gambling with.

I broke her trance and gave her one last tip as we pulled into the studio, "Sarah, be loose and be strong. Don't be afraid to ruffle a few feathers and you can't try and appeal to everybody." She nodded and smiled as always and thanked me for all of my support. The Governor may have appeared confident, but I was anything but. My main worry was that the strategy I had implemented with her would backfire. Early on, it became clear she would never truly be a policy wonk, but what she did specialize in was reciting lines with a folksy but believable demeanor. In short, she was an actress who was running for one of the highest offices in the land. I suppose those Reagan comparisons weren’t too far off…

...Katie was certainly a courteous and kind individual. She shook Sarah's hand as well as mine and greeted us with her bright smile. Couric's producer briefed the two of us on how the interviews would be structured and detailed the path the two would be walking along the sidewalk. I had picked the United Nations as a prime photo-op to highlight her newfound “foreign policy experience.” If Sarah could make it through this interview, the chorus of critics against her would be silenced.

The cameras were ready. Sarah gave me a wink and the gears were set in motion for an extraordinary moment or a disastrous defeat…

[Eleden]

Excerpts from Sarah Palin Interviews with Katie Couric:

COURIC: Why isn't it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families, who are struggling with healthcare, housing, gas and groceries, allow them to spend more and put more money into the economy instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

PALIN: That's why I say, I, like every American I'm speaking with, we're ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the tax payers looking to bail out, but ultimately, what the bailout does is prevent a complete collapse of our economy. I get it, why help the people who got us into this mess in the first place? But, if we don’t step in and stop this meltdown from getting worse, it’s gonna end with more people out of work and a more damage to our economy. It’s a tough decision and it’s a time like this when we need a tough leader like John McCain in the White House.
…

COURIC: You’ve cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as part of your foreign-policy experience. What did you mean by that?

PALIN:  You know, I think that comment was taken more seriously than it should have been. Alaska has a narrow maritime border with Russia, simple as that. But when it comes to foreign policy, John McCain, he’s got the – he offers this country the experience that Barack Obama seriously lacks. Whether it’s his service to our country in Vietnam or his decades of representing our country in the Senate at home and, um, abroad – Senator McCain has always been a leader. You know, and people often ask what I bring to this ticket. When it comes to energy independence and growin’ our economy, that’s where I really shine. John and I really balance each other out.
…

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Great update, glad this is back